Casting: Pike, Banks, Bratt, Bruce, McKenna

United KingdomDavid Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike are in negotiations to star whilst “Belle” director Amma Asante has come aboard to direct the racial drama “A United Kingdom” at Pathe International. Filming begins in October.

Written by Guy Hibbert, the true story tale follows Seretse Khama, a member of the royal family in the country of Bechuanaland which became Botswana. Khama sparked international outrage when he married a white woman in 1948 and survived a deposition attempt by his uncle. [Source: THR]

CocoProvocative hip-hop artist Azealia Banks has scored her first starring role in a feature film, playing the title character in RZA’s second feature “Coco” for Lionsgate and Codeblack Films. Common, Jill Scott, Lucien Laviscount, Lorraine Toussaint and Hana Mae Lee also star.

In the Brooklyn-set drama, Banks plays an aspiring twenty something rapper who wants a career in hip-hop but is torn by her parents’ dreams that she finish college. While matriculating, she finds herself in the classroom; she experiences the true calling of the power of the spoken word, which helps her goals as a hip-hop artist. [Source: Deadline]

Shot CallerBenjamin Bratt has joined the cast of Ric Roman Waugh’s “Shot Caller” which began shooting this week in New Mexico. Bratt plays Sanchez, a member of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Gang unit who is determined to make a career bust. He tracks a newly released prison gangster forced by gang leaders to orchestrate a major crime with a rival gang on Southern California streets.

Brett has also been cast in Ricky Gervais and Netflix’s satirical comedy “Special Correspondent” about a New York based radio journalist (Eric Bana) whose arrogance and decadent lifestyle has hindered his career . [Source: Deadline]

Heroes Reborn“Orphan Black” star Dylan Bruce has scored a recurring role in NBC’s upcoming event series “Heroes Reborn” which kicks off this Fall. Details about Bruce’s character are being kept under wraps.

The project, from “Heroes” creator/executive producer Tim Kring, will revolve around a new group of everyday people with extraordinary abilities. [Source: Deadline]

The Clan Of The Cave BearCharlene McKenna (“A.D.: The Bible Continues”) has joined the cast of Lifetime’s drama pilot adaptation of Jean M. Auel’s novel “The Clan Of The Cave Bear”. Linda Woolverton (“Maleficent”) penned the script and Pierre Morel (“Taken”) helms the pilot.

Set more than 25,000 years ago when Neanderthals shared the planet with the first early modern humans, a band of cave dwellers adopts a blond and blue-eyed child who matures into a young woman (Millie Brady) of spirit and courage who must fight for survival. McKenna will play Iza, the Clan’s medicine woman. [Source: Deadline]